Article By David Lindfield
President Donald Trump pledged to use his veto power against “insane” Democrat legislation after the party captured both chambers of Congress Tuesday, while defending his Iran policy and pointing to higher gasoline prices as a factor in the bloodbath of Republican losses.
Speaking during Fox News’s election-night coverage, Trump said Democrats would eventually have to negotiate with him to get legislation signed.
“They’ll send over things that are insane, and I’ll veto them,” Trump said.
“And after a couple of months of vetoes, they’ll go out, and they’ll say, ‘How do we get this stuff done?’
“And we’ll work together.”
Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held Senate seats and more than two dozen House districts, giving them the power to obstruct Trump’s legislative priorities, reject nominees, and launch investigations during his final two years in office.
Trump Says Democrats Already Reaching Out
Trump said conversations with Democrat lawmakers had already begun, signaling that he expects negotiations despite the looming partisan battles.
“You know, I have a lot of friends that are Democrats, believe it or not,” Trump said.
“I’ve already spoken to some of them.”
He said he had spoken with Democrat members of Congress and that others were waiting to call.
His remarks made clear that Democrat control of Congress would not give the party a free hand to enact its agenda.
Trump intends to use his signature and his veto to force negotiations.
President Defends Iran Campaign Despite Gas Price Backlash
Trump acknowledged that the conflict with Iran likely contributed to the election results, particularly through its impact on gasoline prices.
“I don’t think it’s the war, Bret, I think it’s the gasoline price,” Trump told “Special Report” anchor Bret Baier.
“People agree with what I’m doing on Iran, but they really probably weren’t willing to do the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline.”
The president defended the campaign as necessary to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I think a part of it was Iran,” Trump said.
“But at the same time, people understood the importance of what I’ve done with Iran.
“I think historically it’s going to be much more important than this evening, because you can’t let the number one state sponsor of terror have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump argued that the economic costs were temporary, while the national security stakes would outlast the election.
GOP Candidates Failed To Mobilize MAGA Voters, Trump Says
Trump expressed surprise at Republican losses after holding roughly 30 campaign rallies.
“I’m a little bit surprised,” he said.
“I thought they’d do better.
“We had tremendous rallies.
“We had about 30 of them.”
He argued that some Republican candidates struggled to win over his supporters because they had previously opposed him.
“They didn’t like the candidates, and some of the candidates that I endorsed fought me, and they didn’t like that they fought me,” Trump said.
“And I wasn’t on the ballot,” he added.
“If I was on the ballot, they would have gotten out.”
Trump credited Democrats with running an effective campaign but rejected the characterization of the results as a personal defeat.
“I think the Democrats did a good job, I really do,” he said.
“I think they did a good job. They fought hard.”
“I don’t like to consider it a defeat,” Trump added.
“If you’re on the ballot, it’s different than if you’re not on the ballot.”
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